Characteristics Of External Environment Research Articles

A policy tool for monitoring and evaluation of participation in adaptation projects

Climate change and the need for sustainable development have been reflected in a proliferation of climate adaptation interventions, especially in the Global South. However, alongside intensified funding flows aimed at climate change adaptation, increased efforts in planning, monitoring, and evaluating of projects are necessary to avoid ineffective interventions or maladaptive outcomes. Yet, often the analytical tools available to the policy maker do not capture the cognitive and affective processes leading to adaptation decisions. This paper addresses this gap by proposing a conceptual framework for planning, monitoring, and evaluating climate adaptation interventions that draws upon the decision-making literature. The framework enables tracing how extrinsic factors (personal and external environment characteristics) and intrinsic factors (knowledge and attitudes) influence the decision to participate in an intervention and its outcomes. The paper provides detailed guidelines on how to apply the framework and demonstrates its use in an in-depth case study of a tree planting intervention in Ghana.

Research on Risk Assessment and Control for Urban Rainwater Resources Utilization

Strengthening risk management and control of urban rainwater resources utilization is the key to ensuring the sustainable and efficient use of urban rainwater resources. On the basis of comprehensive research on urban rainwater utilization, the definition and connotation of urban rainwater utilization emphasizing the attributes of resource utilization are proposed, and the definition and function model of urban rainwater utilization risk are established. Based on the whole process of the development and utilization of urban rainwater resources including external environment, urban natural and social characteristics, rainwater utilization engineering systems, and project operation management, the risk assessment index system for urban rainwater utilization and risk evaluation model by using Analytic Hierarchy Process are established, and a comprehensive risk assessment standard based on risk value and risk tolerance, as well as residual risk management and control theory and risk management methods are put forward. The results of research on risk assessment and control of rainwater resources utilization in Xifeng District of Qingyang City shows that the main risks of rainwater utilization in this district are as follows in order of severity: policies and regulations, economy developing level, maintenance costs, precipitation and natural eutrophication. Risk assessment shows that the risks are low and acceptable and thus can be reduced by strengthening daily monitoring and control.

Drivers of management control systems in tourism start-ups firms

Abstract This study examines the use of Management Control Systems (MCS) in travel and tourism start-ups. The study empirically examines 176 European tourism start-ups; data are collected via an online survey of start-up CEOs, and supplemented by financial statements of early-stage tourism firms. The results show that travel and tourism start-ups use formal systems for management control. We observe a relationship between the usage of these systems with specific internal and external environment characteristics. Finally, the results show that the historical financial performance of travel and tourism start-up firms affects MCS usage.

Study of atmospheric ice adhesion properties of superhydrophobic surface by in-situ shear system

Based on shear strength calculation, this paper established an accurate method to measure the ice adhesion strength on any solid surface in an environment chamber by using self-made experimental equipment. The inherent characteristics of material and external environment which have strong influence on ice adhesion strength were investigated. The mechanism of ice adhesion was interpreted by studying the adhesion strength of ice layer with different surface wettability. The smooth steel substrate without any treatment and superhydrophobic surface samples were selected to study the relationship between ice adhesion strength and surface temperature. Meanwhile, the ice peak adhesion strength of the surface after freezing for 20–360 min under different low temperatures was analyzed. The results showed that the equipment provides a scientific and reasonable approach for the researchers to characterize the anti-icing performance of surfaces with different wettability.

Overview of environmental management in an emerging market

AbstractEnterprise strategic orientations influence environmental management, and external environmental characteristics moderate this relationship. Enterprise strategic orientations include policy orientation and market orientation, and external environmental characteristics contain system integrity and industrial competitiveness. Both the policy factors and market factors are important considerations for an enterprise's strategic choice and environmental management activities. System integrity shows no significant negative regulating function on the policy orientation of environmental management relationships, while industrial competitiveness plays a remarkably positive regulating role in the market orientation environmental management.

Semantic Representation of Social and Role Identification in Subject Self-Organization of Personality

Objective. Based on the psycholongvistic approach, which is widely represented in world personology and psychosemantics, revealing the subjective descriptive characteristics of a person, an attempt is made to build a model and diagnostic technique for mental personality self-organization (PSO).
 Material and method. The psycholinguistic method of theoretical structuring and systematization of scientific and theoretical data is presented in the perspective of the subjective paradigm and methodology of the system-synergetic approach (psychological and philosophical) is presented in the construction of a categorical-conceptual model of subjectivity in PSO. Based on the method of categorical-conceptual modeling, a model and methodology for semantic analysis and assessment of subjectness self-organization of personality based on individual characteristics of the experience of social-role identification, reflecting the characteristics of feelings and constructs of understanding that determine the conscious will of the subject, is developed.
 Results. Psycholinguistic scales of semantic constructs are highlighted of the psychic (functional and motivational) and activity (professional, business, and creative) levels of subjectivity are distinguished. The empirical material reflects the verification of the semantic model and methodology. Modified repertoire lattices by J. Kelly and expert assessment in semantic analysis and classification of constructs served as a method of collecting empirical data. An array of constructs obtained (N=2000) reflects the well-known categorical-conceptual aspects of psychic phenomena (processes-states-properties) and external environmental and sociocultural characteristics, thus revealing the socio-psychological aspects of social-role personality identification, which allows analysis and subjectness assessment. Findings. The presented semantic scales of qualities and personality traits (factors of socio-psychological identification) reveal the systemic relationship and the level structure of the PSO, and also make it possible to assess subjectness.

The Severity of Traffic Crashes in Italy: An Explorative Analysis among Different Driving Circumstances

Analyzing traffic accidents is very important due to their direct impact on the social environment. In the literature, many studies focus on the different aspects that influence traffic accidents, such as human, vehicle, road and environment risk factors. In this paper, we propose a methodology for testing the relationship between road, external environment, driver and vehicle characteristics, and certain circumstances that lead to the traffic crashes. Particularly, we elaborate on logistic regression models for evaluating how these different characteristics impact on crash severity, considering the combination of traffic circumstances that caused the crash. In each combination, a vehicle proceeded regularly, whereas the other vehicle did an incorrect maneuver (the vehicle proceeded: with distracted driving; without maintaining the safety distance; with speeding; by maneuvering to join the circulation flow; against the flow). The present work analyzes data related to road crashes which occurred in Italy during 2016 involving two vehicles. The results show that the variables significantly influencing crash severity are different depending on the combinations of circumstances that cause the crash.

Elements of sustainable development of agricultural enterprises

Rapidly changing modern economic conditions have highlighted the challenges of sustainable development of agricultural enterprises and its ability to resist adverse situations, which causes the need to ensure the reliability of each particular enterprise. Practice shows that the current problems cannot be solved without the formation of a mechanism that ensures sustainable development of the enterprise. In this article, the mechanism of sustainable development is considered as a set of different elements: organizational and managerial, technological, marketing, financial, investment, in relation to the external environment, internal factors, strategic objectives and current individual characteristics of the enterprise.

Shadow Image Characteristics and Feature Extraction Method of Large Caliber Projectile in Outfield

According to the shape characteristics of large-caliber projectiles in shadow photography and the characteristics of external field environment, this paper focuses on the characteristics of external field shadow imaging and proposes a method for extracting the features of outfield shadow image of large-caliber projectiles. Based on the image preprocessing, the Bullet Tip feature points are determined by the intersection of the central axis and the edge, while the bullet tail feature extraction method based on ellipse fitting. The fitting accuracy of ellipse fitting method and upper and lower endpoint method are simulated and compared. The results show that the ellipse fitting method determining the center of the target end surface is better, with the extraction accuracy of 0.44 piexl.

Prevalence of cryptococcal antigenemia and nasal colonization in a free-ranging koala population.

Cryptococcosis, caused by environmental fungi in the Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii species complexes, affects a variety of hosts, including koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus). Cryptococcal antigenemia and nasal colonization are well characterized in captive koalas, but free-ranging populations have not been studied systematically. Free-ranging koalas (181) from the Liverpool Plains region of New South Wales, Australia, were tested for cryptococcal antigenemia (lateral flow immunoassay) and nasal colonization (bird seed agar culture). Results were related to environmental and individual koala characteristics. Eucalypt trees (14) were also randomly tested for the presence of Cryptococcus spp. by bird seed agar culture. In sum, 5.5% (10/181) and 6.6% (12/181) of koalas were positive for antigenemia and nasal colonization, respectively, on at least one occasion. And 64.3% (9/14) of eucalypts were culture-positive for Cryptococcus spp. URA5 restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis identified most isolates as C. gattii VGI, while C. neoformans VNI was only found in one koala and one tree. Colonized koalas were significantly more likely to test positive for antigenemia. No associations between antigenemia or colonization, and external environmental characteristics (the relative abundance of Eucalyptus camaldulensis and season), or individual koala characteristics (body condition, sex, and age), could be established, suggesting that antigenemia and colonization are random outcomes of host-pathogen-environment interactions. The relationship between positive antigenemia status and a relatively high abundance of E. camaldulensis requires further investigation. This study characterizes cryptococcosis in a free-ranging koala population, expands the ecological niche of the C. gattii/C. neoformans species complexes and highlights free-ranging koalas as important sentinels for this disease.

The Role of Flagship Universities in a Region: Transformation Models

Efforts in providing expert and methodological support for the implementation of flagship university development programs in 2016–2017 yielded a specific-purpose flagship university model and four generic flagship university transformation models: regional technology leader (RTL), regional comprehensive university (RCU), industry sector leader (industrial university) (IL), and trans-border region university (TBRU). The article provides distinctive features of the four models, analysis of the regions where specific types of models pre­vail, and the results of model testing.
 As it has been found, flagship universities basically develop along two gene­ric models, RCU (classical universities, nearly half of the project participants) and RTL (engineering universities, one third of the flagship universities). For most universities, the type of transformation model pursued is strongly related to their current status and external environment characteristics. However, a number of universities fall in between and cannot be classified neatly under any particular model due to some specific external and internal factors. In this case, universities may use elements of more than one transformation model at once, yet the choice of model should first of all be based on the regional factors that determine the position and role of the flagship university in terms of the priority areas of regional development.

The Relationship between Environmental Uncertainty and Enterprise Performance. A Fuzzy-Set Analysis

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to explore causal complexity in the relationship between environmental uncertainty and firm’s performance. Due to complexity in the external and internal environment, the relationship between environment and firm performance rests not only on a single attribute but on the interrelation and complementarities between multiple characteristics such as firm features and external factors. This study examines the influence of a firm’s specific characteristics and the dimensions of environmental uncertainty on the company’s performance. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis is used to analyze data collected via questionnaires from 58 Polish small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The results suggest that characteristics of the general business environment, as well as the firm-specific characteristics all matter to firm performance. In addition, our findings clearly demonstrate that the determination of high firm performance is underpinned by substantial interdependence among the selected conditions and complexity. Therefore, any particular condition may have a different or even opposite effect on the outcome depending on the presence or absence of other conditions. Based on this, we conclude that external environmental uncertainty characteristics, with the dimensions of competitive intensity, technological turbulence and market/demand turbulence, are not as important as the other conditions for high-performing firms. The study offers a new perspective on the relationship between environmental uncertainty and firm performance with its systematic comparative analysis of complex cases. It identifies different combinations of conditions (paths) leading to a high firm performance.

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ РОЗВИТКУ МІЖНАРОДНОГО МАРКЕТИНГУ ВИСОКИХ ТЕХНОЛОГІЙ В УМОВАХ ГЛОБАЛІЗАЦІЇ

The article explores the key development trends for international marketing in the area of high-tech entrepreneurship. Specific features of international marketing are determined by the particular characteristics of external environment in which it is implemented. In the first place, an emphasis is made on the critical role of the national government in shaping foreign economic policy. It can either facilitate favorable conditions to enhance international economic activities or on the contrary, the government may be uninterested in the process and create certain barriers to some of the firms in their entry in foreign markets. Reasons have been provided for the relevance of using the specifics of hi-tech marketing in the high-end industry context. It should be noted that the marketing practice adapted for ordinary goods and services proved to be ineffective in the field of high technology and at the international level in particular, thus triggering the need for the research on the development of marketing concepts and tools that can be applied to a specific category of goods – the category of hi-tech. Apparently, it is possible to assert that high-technology marketing is of a specific nature. Such areas of traditional marketing as building positive consumer perception, creating strong competitive advantage, designing promotion models, developing infrastructure and dealer networks, etc. are transforming their content as soon as they are applied within high technology market. It has been revealed that the principles of international hi-tech marketing differ significantly from mass marketing paradigm where standard tools, traditional sales and promotion models prevail. It overturns the traditional business approaches assuming that a single company cannot change common and well-established patterns developed over the years.

Scaling up a tobacco control intervention in low resource settings: a case example for school teachers in India.

Research on processes of bringing effective tobacco control interventions to scale to increase quit rates among tobacco users is uncommon. This study examines processes to bring to scale one such intervention for school teachers, i.e. Tobacco Free Teacher-Tobacco Free Society (TFT-TFS). This intervention provides a foundation for an effective and low cost approach to promote cessation through schools. The present study was conducted in the states of Bihar and Maharashtra in 2014 using quantitative and qualitative methods. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were analysed using immersion crystallization method. The data presented are from a survey of 291 principals and seven FGDs. This study examined characteristics of principals and teachers, organizational environment, external environmental factors and program characteristics to determine facilitators and barriers for successful dissemination and implementation of the TFT-TFS program. Some facilitators were, incorporation of the program in existing channels like staff meetings and trainings, certification and recognition by the department of education; while some barriers were routine time bound duties (mainly teaching) of teachers and prevalence of tobacco use among teachers and administrators. Principals and teachers expressed a need and high level of interest in the adoption and implementation of the TFT-TFS program in their schools.

Transfer of know-how based on learning outcomes for development of open innovation

The Paper focuses on the inbound know-how transfer for the development of open innovation as an approach to business management. It can be a challenging task for useful and meaningful transfer of external know-how to create value, thus the addressed research questions are: What constitutes a successful know-how transfer? How to measure performance of know-how transfer? How transfer of know-how should be done? Qualitative research methods – participatory action research within a specific case and application of existing theories as well as focus groups’ discussions were applied to create the study and obtain triangulation. The paper applied both inductive and deductive reasoning. The research shows that learning outcomes based approach can be used for successful know-how transfer. Performance of know-how transfer is affected by accuracy of the stated aim (learning outcomes), applied teaching, learning and assessment methods and both internal and external environment characteristics of the stakeholders involved in the process. Both the know-how transfer performance measurements and the developed six step process model are presented in the paper. Implications and recommendations for future research are given.

Impact of seasonal forcing on reactive ecological systems

Our focus is on the short-term dynamics of reactive ecological systems which are stable in the long term. In these systems, perturbations can exhibit significant transient amplifications before asymptotically decaying. This peculiar behavior has attracted increasing attention. However, reactive systems have so far been investigated assuming that external environmental characteristics remain constant, although environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, moisture, water availability, etc.) can undergo substantial changes due to seasonal cycles. In order to fill this gap, we propose applying the adjoint non-modal analysis to study the impact of seasonal variations of environmental conditions on reactive systems. This tool allows the transient dynamics of a perturbation affecting non-autonomous ecological systems to be described. To show the potential of this approach, a seasonally forced prey-predator model with a Holling II type functional response is studied as an exemplifying case. We demonstrate that seasonalities can greatly affect the transient dynamics of the system.

The glass ceiling in context: the influence of CEO gender, recruitment practices and firm internationalisation on the representation of women in management

This study examines macro‐level organisational determinants of women in management. Specifically, we examined organisational characteristics and strategies, including firm levels of internationalisation, firm foreign ownership, chief executive officer gender and the active recruitment of women, as predictors of an organisation's level of representation of women in management. Results from a survey of 278 firms indicated that the presence of a female chief executive officer and an organisation's active recruitment of women are positively associated with a firm's percentage of women in management while firm internationalisation and firm foreign ownership are negatively associated with the representation of women in management. Overall, these findings suggest that although firms exercise discretion with respect to hiring and promoting women, they are also constrained by the external environment and organisational characteristics. For example, firms with higher levels of firm internationalisation and that are foreign‐owned may limit their efforts and investment in the advancement of women into management.

Automating Transmission-LineFault Root Cause Analysis

This research demonstrates that transmission-line faults can be classified automatically according to their underlying cause, and lays a foundation for operational classification of transmission-line faults in system control centers. The transmission-line fault waveforms are characterized by instantaneous symmetrical component analysis to describe the transient and steady-state fault conditions. Using a large fault record and waveform database, classification features based on the waveform and external environmental characteristics have been identified to develop single-nearest-neighbor classifiers that identify the underlying cause of transmission-line faults, and good classification accuracy has been achieved.

Wildfires, forest management and landowners⿿ collective action: A comparative approach at the local level

The increase in frequency and extent of fires in Portugal has favoured the approval of a new legal frame for forest management, the Forest Intervention Zone (FIZ). Under this frame, a large contiguous surface involving numerous owners is subject to a single management plan, providing an opportunity for cooperation. Since 2005, 161 zones have been created but only half of them have had their management plan approved and very few are nearing its implementation.Cooperation amongst private forest owners has usually been explained at the owner level. In an approach at the local level we examine local constraints and key-factors for cooperative landscape management. Building on the theory of collective action, a typology of FIZ/territories is established by Cluster Analysis using a group of ecological and socioeconomic variables expressing the characteristics of natural resources, owners⿿ group, institutional arrangements, and external environment of FIZs.Three clusters are identified. Where FIZs are smaller and biophysical resources impose greater wildfire susceptibility, the transaction costs for collective management are highest due to more numerous, aged, and dispersed owners and the absence of a land registry. Conversely, larger FIZs have fewer owners, more powerful management bodies, and higher public financial incentives, leading to greater performance rate. Nonetheless, since their resources are less fire-prone, and private profitability is higher, public support for collective action has a lower social return.Addressing the heterogeneity of local systems of ecological and socioeconomic constraints is therefore a challenge faced by public policy makers seeking to mitigate wildfire risk.

Towards the Factors affecting Small Firm Growth: Review of Previous Studies

The objective of the paper is to review the previous studies on factors affecting small business growth or performance for the period of 2006-2014. The review of the literature of factors affecting small business growth or performance based on the papers available in online and published in referred journals is focused. 34 papers are considered as the primary research topic. Each of the articles has been used as the unit of analysis. The four broad areas of factors has been focused namely owner-manager characteristics, characteristics of firm, financial factors and external environment. The paper provides some ideas and approaches used in the previous literature to describe small business growth and factors affecting the growth. The literatures suggest that there is no unified theory or model to describe small business growth. Although there are many studies on the issue, still the theory of small business growth is very fragmented and inconsistent. The new theoretical perspectives are highly required for the growth process in small businesses sectors. Considering the approaches used in the previous literature, new research approaches may be adapted for more understanding of small business growth and the growth factors.